RCL Oasis of the Seas or NCL Epic?

[mickeychicky]

eenie meenie miney mo ...

 

Both ships will be coming to Port Canaveral next year and I can't even decide which one to pick. Would love to do both but want to treat myself to a balcony (RCL) or Mini Suite (NCL). I REAAALLLYYYY want to do Oasis, just because, no specific reasons other than ITS HUGE . But NCL offers 4 promotions (Ultimate Beverage Package, Wi-Fi credit, Shore Excursions credits and Specialty Dining Package) if you book a suite or Haven (well, forget the Haven, I am not that rich). But I could afford the mini suite IF I do only one cruise next year.

 

Anyone been on BOTH of these ships that can offer up an opinion?

 

So excited they are coming to Central FL :) so I don't have to drive down to South FL :mad:

[Keith1010]

One option is to do one this time and another next time.

 

Of the two I would go with Oasis.

 

Keith

[trish1c]

The mini suite on the Epic is a misnomer & waste of money. Ours was only $40 pp more then a standard balcony which is why we booked it; it still felt like a rip off. Of all the cruises I have ever been on that was the only one I hated. The ship design is awful.

Edited November 6, 2015 by trish1c

[mickeychicky]

One option is to do one this time and another next time.

 

Of the two I would go with Oasis.

 

Keith

 

That is an option, however, we have no idea of knowing how long Port Canaveral will be "home" to either one. I hope its just not for the 2016/2017 winter season. Then I will be forced to just pick one.

[mickeychicky]

The mini suite on the Epic is a misnomer & waste of money. Ours was only $40 pp more then a standard balcony which is why we booked it; it still felt like a rip off. Of all the cruises I have ever been on that was the only one I hated. The ship design is awful.

 

 

With all the "freebies" they give for the mini-suite I would think it would be worth it. I mean the rooms looks a little bit bigger and not so much like a closet. And besides, my son who will be 20 by the time Nov 2016 rolls around is allowed to drink beer/wine on NCL with the consent form. Royal Caribbean needs to have that consent form for the 18-20 year olds, or the decision would be a no-brainer. We did Freedom of the Seas in August and I really liked that one so I'm sure I would LOVE Oasis.

[cattolica]

Since it sounds like you have sailed both of the ships what makes the Oasis a better choice than the Epic? What are the particulars about the Epic that you didn't like?

Thanks

 

 

One option is to do one this time and another next time.

 

Of the two I would go with Oasis.

 

Keith

[trish1c]

You also get those freebies in a plain balcony. Although if you do plan to shove 3 people in there, the few extra feet of space would be OK.

 

Problem with the Epic & multiple people is the bathroom setup. the bathroom is NOT separate from the rest of the cabin. You step out of the shower into the cabin; if the cabin door is open you give the passengers in the hallway a show. You must also close the curtain to the balcony or when you step out of the shower, you give the outside world a show. I'm not sure a 20 year old would want to share that much of himself with his parents & I'm positive his mom doesn't want to put that much of herself on display for her grown son.

 

the complaints about the Epic bathrooms are so rampant, it was a huge part of NCL's decision to cancel the other ships on order in that design

[Cruzaholic41]

I have actually been on both ships and Oasis of the Seas blows away Norwegian Epic. These 2 ships can't be compared by price. It's like comparing a Mercedes to a Kia. I cruised Epic one time and said never again. There's a reason NCL stopped with only one of those hideous ships. Oasis, on the other hand, seems to have become a worldwide phenomenon and RCI is currently building the 3rd of her class. If it's one or other, I think the choice is clear. Oasis. If price is the motivator, you might as well book one of those old Carnival tubs sailing out of there.

[mickeychicky]

You also get those freebies in a plain balcony. Although if you do plan to shove 3 people in there, the few extra feet of space would be OK.

 

Problem with the Epic & multiple people is the bathroom setup. the bathroom is NOT separate from the rest of the cabin. You step out of the shower into the cabin; if the cabin door is open you give the passengers in the hallway a show. You must also close the curtain to the balcony or when you step out of the shower, you give the outside world a show. I'm not sure a 20 year old would want to share that much of himself with his parents & I'm positive his mom doesn't want to put that much of herself on display for her grown son.

 

the complaints about the Epic bathrooms are so rampant, it was a huge part of NCL's decision to cancel the other ships on order in that design

 

It's just two of us in the cabin. I did see the pictures of that whole bathroom setup on Epic and yes, it really seems awkward. I did talk to him about that already and he could really care less and I never step out of the shower door without a cover up/robe on anyway. Are they COMPLETELY see through or just frosted? Whoever came up with that design flaw should be fired!

[mickeychicky]

I have actually been on both ships and Oasis of the Seas blows away Norwegian Epic. These 2 ships can't be compared by price. It's like comparing a Mercedes to a Kia. I cruised Epic one time and said never again. There's a reason NCL stopped with only one of those hideous ships. Oasis, on the other hand, seems to have become a worldwide phenomenon and RCI is currently building the 3rd of her class. If it's one or other, I think the choice is clear. Oasis. If price is the motivator, you might as well book one of those old Carnival tubs sailing out of there.

 

Funny.. I actually own a KIA Optima and I love it! ;)

 

As far as price goes, NCL Mini Suite with Balcony was only $2 cheaper than the RC Boardwalk View Stateroom was BUT was $96 more than the RC Central Park View. As far a RC goes I wouldn't want a balcony that overlooks an inside Park or Boardwalk where everyone can see you enjoying a morning cup of coffee (I'm sure nobody is really looking or cares). I do like to people watch but how much "people watching" does one really do when on a cruise? That would mean you would have to be in your room a lot, and on the first cruise we took on NCL we were hardly in the room.

 

And then factor all FOUR freebies with NCL and honestly I didn't see anything free from Royal Caribbean. It might be too early to put any promotions out there but I'm just sayin'.

 

We're cruising Norwegian in December for the 1st time so maybe after that cruise our minds will be made up. I already like the whole so-called relaxed atmosphere that NCLers talk about. I don't like to "dress up" at all so when we sailed RC in August I felt like I was pressured to do so. With that being said we still had a great time on RC.

 

But still love hearing all the feedback though, it helps tremendously.

[trish1c]

Are they COMPLETELY see through or just frosted? Whoever came up with that design flaw should be fired!

 

The doors are frosted. It's the stepping out that causes the issues.

 

 

 

And then factor all FOUR freebies with NCL and honestly I didn't see anything free from Royal Caribbean

 

Remember I warned you that the term mini-suite was a misnomer? You only get all 4 perks if you are in the Haven. Mini suites you only get 1 of the 4 (your choice) for "free", not all 4. Hence, the balcony is the same deal.

Edited November 6, 2015 by trish1c

[Extra Kim]

I have been on both ships (well it was Allure, but the difference isn't that big).

 

I did a cruise on Epic back in 2011 in the med. This was my first real cruise, I traveled solo and had a solo cabin. With this said, the focus on that trip was to got to know people and party.

 

I did the cruise on Allure 2013 in the west caribbean with my girlfriend and we had a balcony cabin. With other words, this cruise was a lot different then the one on Epic.

 

Both ships are nice and I would do both again. I think that I would pick Epic if the price was the same on both.

 

I feelt like Epic was bigger then Allure and gave a bigger WOW feeling (I know that Allure is a lot bigger), I liked the food better and the freestyle concept.

 

But since there was two years between the cruises and the way of how I did them was different, it's hard to tell if I would feel the same if I did both now.

Edited November 6, 2015 by Extra Kim

[SuiteTraveler]

Epic is a French built ship. It has some really unique cabins, great restaurants, a great spa, a water park on the top deck and a ropes course and some of the best entertainment at sea. There is a great casino onboard. There is a great Cirque du Soliel production onboard - very spectacular and worth seeing.

 

The Epic's cabins have bathroom designs which are more common in tiny French apartments in order to save space but many people in the US and Canada hate the design. To me, what do I care? I haven't bought the ship, I don't have to live with it for the rest of my life. But many have moaned and groaned over it here. We sailed on Epic in a Spa Suite - it has the BEST shower on the ship and a whirlpool tub in the room plus a round bed - it's a very unusual cabin for a cruise ship and it came with a large balcony with 2 loungers and a table. If you could afford a Spa Suite or Penthouse on this ship - well, it is absolutely amazing to be in The Haven. I highly recommend that experience. If you are going to get a Junior Suite then get a Spa Junior Suite if possible because the spa on Epic is out of this world kind of great and there is nothing equivalent to it on RCCL ships. That would be a great way to spend your anniversary. The water circuit in there is FABULOUS! It took me 3 days to convince my husband to try it and once he went, he was completely hooked and wanted to go twice a day! LOL! Oasis has NOTHING like the Spa on Epic.

 

Epic has 3 major water slides, a ropes course, rock climbing, mini golf, sports court.

 

We have also sailed on Oasis (and also on Allure) Oasis is a spectacular ship. It has great specialty restaurants (we never went to the MDR and recently the MDR was split into 3 different specialty restaurants). What Oasis is really good at is large scale spectacle type shows such as diving shows, ice skating shows and acrobatic shows. They are currently running a production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Cats" in the theater. They have lots of physical activities like flow riders, rock climbing, sports court, zip line (just a short one.)

 

What I can say about RCCL is that their buffet is nowhere near as good or as large as the buffet on Epic. The Sabor restaurant on RCCL is nowhere near as good as Moderno on Epic. Izumi on Oasis is way better than Wasabi on Epic. Cagney's on Epic is better than Chops on Oasis. Giovanni's table on Oasis is way better than La Cucina on Epic. There is no French restaurant on RCCL. Le Bistro on Epic is great! There is no tasting room restaurant on NCL. 150 Central Park is great! I have not experienced the new specialty restaurants on RCCL that are complementary, so I can't compare those to NCL MDR's. The Pub on NCL is way better than the pub on RCCL.

 

In terms of service, I found both NCL and RCCL to be about equal. What might help you to decide is if you are someone who wants to hang around by the pool or not. On NCL Epic, that area is quite crowded. On RCCL they have the Adults only Solarium at no extra fee. On NCL Epic they have Spice H2O and Posh (extra fee).

 

I think that both NCL Epic and RCCL Oasis are both extremely good. I absolutely disagree with the poster who said it was like comparing a Kia to a Mercedes. Oasis is more about being spectacular. Epic is more about lots of options and things to do. Oasis feels to me like a theme park with different "neighborhoods" and Epic feels to me like a new Las Vegas Casino Hotel (it kind of reminds me of Aria to some extent). I honestly like both of these ships and would recommend sailing on either one. If the Epic is cheaper right now, then I'd say go on Epic and then later go on Oasis. You really cannot go wrong with either ship. The NCL alternative to Epic would be NCL Getaway, which is similar to Epic, but has much nicer regular cabins. It is a German built ship and the quality really shows. In terms of having the nicer cabins the NCL Getaway beats RCCL Oasis hands down.

[MMOMOM]

I think a lot of it is subjective ... what one person likes, another may not, and vise versa. That being said, it is my opinion that if one has the opportunity to experience the Oasis or the Allure, go for it. They are both amazing ships! We loved them both and would love to eventually sail the Harmony. We did a last minute 'sale' on the Epic a few years ago and would never sail on NCL again, based on the experience. That also being said, many people love NCL! We had a 'mini-suite' and it really was the 'mis-nomer' mentioned previously. We joked during the week, we've had more room in a camper! The whole set up of the ship was really weird. The staff was very nice but I think being Spring Break week, the total focus was on party ... and way too much alcohol. We are not prudes, but any means, but some of the antics going on (and seemingly being promoted) by the pool, etc. was way over the top. If I had young children with me, it was not the place for them. We weren't crazy about the entertainment either, although again, reviews say people loved it. The only good meals (and hot) was in the Italian and Asian Specialty Restaurants we went to. Everything in the MDR was barely warm and the staff seemed rushed and over worked. It was nothing we were used to on RCCI, HAL or Carnival. We still had a good time and a lot of laughs, I mean it's a cruise, why not!? :) But, once was enough for us with NCL, we wouldn't even take a good sale at this point. If I had the choice, I would definitely chose the Oasis in a heartbeat! But you know better what works for you and either way I'm sure you'll have a good time! Good Luck and Happy Sailing! :)

[Warm Breezes]

We did this same debate a few years ago. NCL Epic vs. RCL Oasis. Same week, same itinerary only opposite of each other, same type rooms. NCL Epic was $1000 cheaper. A no brainer for us. We had a great time and I couldn't imagine what RCL could offer over NCL that would be worth $1000 more. Some day we would like to sail RCL....I just can't justify those type of price differences which have been typical for any RCL cruise we have looked at when comparing cruises for a week we want to travel.

[SuiteTraveler]

PS: The mini suite on Epic is 40 sq ft larger than a balcony cabin. IMO, the bed by the window layout is better as this makes the room look larger than the sofa by the window layout.